FOR'l'^'!  ''Hi^I^TIAN  SiiiSSJONAfiY  ISTj>  3 
BoxSo';  ..  ;rJUlNNA.Ti..O. 


MISSIONS 


IN  TTHK 

LIFE  OF  CHRIST: 


AN  ADDRESS. 


BY  A.  MCLEAN. 


CINCINNATI ; 

Foreign  Christian  Missionary  Society. 


MISSIONS  IN  THE  LIFE  OF  CHRIST.* 


Text  : —  Wherefore^  holy  brethren^  fartakers 
of  a  heavenly  callings  consider  the  Apostle  and 
High  Priest  of  our  confession^  even  Jesus^  who 
was  faithful  to  him  that  appointed  him,  as  also 
was  Moses  in  all  his  house. — Heb.  Hi:  i,  2. 

The  word  “apostle”  means  precisely  the 
same  as  the  word  “missionary.”  Apostle  is 
from  the  Greek;  missionary  is  from  the  Latin; 
but  both  mean  one  who  is  “sent.”  Our  Lord 
tells  us  that  he  did  not  come  of  himself ;  the 
Father  sent  him.  “For  God  sent  not  the  Son 
into  the  world  to  judge  the  world;  but  that  the 
world  should  be  saved  through  him.”  “As 
the  living  Father  sent  me,  and  1  live  because  of 
the  Father;  so  he  that  eateth  me,  he  also  shall 
live  because  of  me.”  “And  this  is  life  eternal, 
that  they  should  know  thee,  the  only  true  God, 
and  him  whom  thou  didst  send.,  even  Jesus 
Christ.”  John  says,  “Herein  was  the  love  of 
God  manifested  in  us,  that  God  hath  sent  his 
only  betjotten  Son  into  the  world,  that  we 
might  live  through  him.  Herein  is  love,  not 
that  we  loved  God,  but  that  he  loved  us,  and 
sent  his  Son  to  be  the  propitiation  for  our  sins.” 
Livingstone  said,  “God  had  only  one  Son  and 
he  made  of  him  a  missionary  and  sent  him 
into  the  world  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which 


‘^'Delivered  before  the  New  York  Missionary  Convention,  and 
published  by  request. 


2 


was  lost!”  The  text  calls  upon  us  to  consider 
this  Apostle  or  Missionary  even  Jesus.  I  in¬ 
vite  your  attention  to  this  subject — Missions  in 
the  Life  of  Christ. 

I.  Let  us  consider  the  efforts  he  put 
FORTH  TO  SAVE  THE  woRED.  Peter  speaks  of 
him  as  anointed  with  the  Holy  Spirit  and 
power,  and  adds  that  he  went  about  doing 
good,  and  healing  all  who  were  oppressed  of 
the  devil.  A  large  part  of  the  gospels  is  taken 
up  with  the  record  of  his  evangelistic  tours. 
He  had  no  settled  home  ;  he  needed  none.  In 
order  to  accomplish  the  purpose  for  which  he 
was  sent,  he  must  visit  the  towns  and  villages 
of  Palestine.  A  few  followed  him  from  place 
to  place,  but  in  the  nature  of  the  case  most 
could  not  leave  their  homes.  If  reached  at  all, 
the  gospel  must  be  carried  to  them.  The  con¬ 
stant  aim  and  endeavor  of  our  Lord  was  to 
evangelize  the  whole  people  before  his  earthly 
career  closed  forever.  His  missionary  zeal 
and  activity  were  boundless.  His  baptism 
took  place  at  Bethany  beyond  Jordan.  While 
there  he  called  Andrew  and  Simon,  Philip  and 
Nathaniel.  After  a  little  he  returned  to  Gali¬ 
lee.  We  read  of  his  being  at  the  marriage  at 
Cana  where  he  performed  his  first  miracle,  and 
manifested  his  glory.  At  the  close  of  the  feast 
he  went  to  Capernaum  for  a  few  days.  We 
find  him  next  in  Jerusalem  at  the  Passover.  It 
was  at  this  time  that  he  found  in  the  temple 
those  that  sold  oxen  and  sheep  and  doves  and 
the  changers  of  mone}^  and  made  a  scourge  of 
cords  and  drove  them  all  out,  and  said  :  “Make 
not  my  Father’s  house  a  house  of  merchan¬ 
dise.”  He  spent  some  time  in  and  near  Jeru- 

3 


Salem.  We  are  told  that  many  believed  on 
him  beholding  the  signs  which  he  did.  Among 
these  was  Nicodemus,  a  ruler  of  the  Jews^.  But 
the  ruling  class  held  aloof.  When  he  knew 
that  the  Pharisees  heard  that  he  made  and  bap¬ 
tized  more  disciples  than  John,  he  left  Judea 
and  went  back  to  Galilee.  On  the  way,  as  he 
passed  through  Samaria  he  came  to  Jacob’s 
well  where  he  had  that  memorable  talk  with 
the  woman  of  Sychar.  In  answer  to  the  re¬ 
quest  of  the  people  of  the  village  he  remained 
with  them  two  days.  The  historian  says  that 
many  believed  on  him  because  of  the  word  of 
the  woman,  and  many  more  believed  on  him 
because  of  his  own  word.  These  said  to  the 
woman,  “Now  we  believe,  not  because  of  thy 
speaking  ;  for  we  have  heard  for  ourselves, 
and  know  that  this  is  indeed  the  Savior  of  the 
world.” 

On  reaching  Galilee  he  preached  in  their 
synagogues  that  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at 
hand.  He  visited  Cana  a  second  time,  and 
healed  the  dying  son  of  a  nobleman.  There¬ 
upon  he  went  to  Nazareth  where  he  had  been 
brought  up.  Here  it  was  that  he  read  and  ex¬ 
pounded  the  words  of  Isaiah,  “The  Spirit  of 
the  Lord  God  is  upon  me,  because  he  anointed 
me  to  preach  good  tidings  to  the  poor ;  he  hath 
sent  me  to  proclaim  release  to  the  captives,  and 
recovering  of  sight  to  the  blind,  to  proclaim 
the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord.”  The  people 
were  pleased  at  first,  but  before  he  was  done 
they  were  filled  with  wrath,  and  cast  him  forth 
out  of  the  city,  and  led  him  to  the  brow  of  the 
hill  on  which  their  city  was  built,  that  they 
might  throw  him  down  headlong.  Rejected  in 

4 


Nazareth,  he  went  to  Capernaum,  thus  fulfill¬ 
ing  the  prophecy,  “The  people  who  sat  in 
darkness  saw  a  great  light,  and  to  them  who 
sat  in  the  region  and  shadow  of  death,  to  them 
did  light  spring  up.”  While  he  was  preaching 
there  he  healed  a  man  who  had  an  unclean 
demon.  The  narrative  says  that  there  went 
forth  a  rumor  of  him  into  every  place  of  the 
region  round  about.  It  was  about  this  time 
that  he  began  to  visit  and  to  preach  in  every 
part  of  Galilee.  We  read,  “And  Jesus  went 
about  in  all  Galilee,  teaching  in  their  syna¬ 
gogues,  and  preaching  the  gospel  of  the  king¬ 
dom,  and  healing  all  manner  of  sickness  and 
all  manner  of  disease  among  the  people.” — 
Matt,  iv:  23.  Matthew  adds  that  there  fol¬ 
lowed  him  great  multitudes  from  Galilee  and 
Decapolis  and  Jerusalem  and  Judea  and  from 
beyond  Jordan.  His  fame  reached  Syria,  and 
they  brought  to  him  their  sick,  their  demoniacs, 
the  epileptic,  and  the  palsied,  and  he  healed 
them.  Speaking  of  this  time  Mark  tells  us 
that  Simon  and  others  said  to  him,  “All  men 
are  seeking  thee.”  He  said,  “Let  us  go  else¬ 
where,  into  the  next  towns,  that  I  may  preach 
there  also;  for  to  this  end  came  I  forth.”  He 
could  not  stop  to  be  admired;  his  work  was  to 
reach  the  whole  people.  He  could  not  do  that 
by  staying  in  one  place.  About  this  time  Luke 
tells  us  that  the  multitudes  sought  after  him, 
and  would  have  staved  him,  that  he  should  not 
go  from  thence.  But  he  said,  “I  must  preach 
the  good  tidings  of  the  kingdom  of  God  to  the 
other  cities  also,  for  therefore  was  I  sent.” 
Popularity  was  not  his  aim.  His  mission  was 
to  reach  the  people  with  the  message  respect- 

5 


ing  the  kingdom.  To  do  that  he  must  brush 
aside  all  opposition  and  go  to  them. 

Having  finished  his  first  circuit  of  Galilee,  he 
attended  a  feast  in  Jerusalem.  Here  he  healed 
the  man  who  had  been  in  Bethesda  for  thirty- 
eight  years.  On  account  of  the  hostility  of  the 
rulers  he  is  soon  on  his  way  back  to  Galilee. 
Because  he  healed  a  man  with  a  withered  hand 
on  the  Sabbath  day  it  was  proposed  to  put  him 
to  death.  Learning  of  this  he  withdrew  from 
the  public  gaze  and  charged  his  friends  not  to 
make  him  known.  The  Prophet  had  said  of 
him,  “He  shall  not  strive  nor  cry  aloud,  neither 
shall  any  one  hear  his  voice  in  the  streets.” 
Next  he  appears  in  Capernaum  where  he 
healed  the  centurion’s  servant.  After  this  he 
is  in  the  city  of  Nain;  here  he  raises  to  life  the 
widow’s  son.  At  this  point  he  made  a  second 
missionary  tour  through  Galilee.  Luke  says, 
“And  it  came  to  pass  soon  afterwards,  that  he 
went  about  through  cities  and  villages,  preach¬ 
ing  and  bringing  the  good  tidings  of  the  king¬ 
dom  of  God.” — Luke  viii:  1.  While  on  this 
tour  his  mother  and  brothers  came  to  have  an 
interview  with  him.  While  on  this  tour  great 
multitudes  followed  him  and  he  spoke  many 
parables  to  them.  Because  of  the  crowds  and 
the  excitement  he  crossed  the  Sea  of  Galilee 
and  entered  the  country  of  the  Gadarenes. 
Here  he  healed  the  fierce  demoniac.  Because 
of  the  loss  of  their  swine,  the  people  begged 
him  to  depart  out  of  their  coasts.  He  left  at 
their  request  and  went  back  to  Capernaum. 
At  this  place  Matthew  made  him  a  feast. 
Here  he  raised  the  daughter  of  Jairus.  After 
this  two  blind  men  besought  him  to  have 


6 


mercy  on  tliem.  He  touched  and  opened  their 
eyes.  After  this  he  returned  to  Nazareth  and 
was  rejected  a  second  time.  His  townsmen 
were  scandalized  because  they  could  not  ac¬ 
count  for  his  mighty  deeds.  He  next  made  a 
third  circuit  of  Galilee.  The  historian  says: 
“And  Jesus  went  about  all  the  cities  and  vil¬ 
lages,  teaching  in  their  synagogues,  and  preach- 
^  ing  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom,  and  healing  all 
manner  of  disease  and  all  manner  of  sickness.” 
— Matt,  ix:  3.5.  When  he  saw  the  multitudes 
he  was  moved  with  compassion  for  them,  be¬ 
cause  they  were  distressed  and  scattered  as 
sheep  not  having  a  shej)herd.  Then  said  he 
to  his  disciples,  “The  harvest  truly  is  plenteous, 
but  the  laborers  are  few.  Pray  ye  therefore 
the  Lord  of  the  harvest  that  he  send  forth 
laborers  into  his  harvest.” 

We  next  find  him  crossing  the  Sea  of  Gali¬ 
lee.  Great  numbers  followed  him.  They  were 
in  such  eager  haste  that  they  forgot  to  take  any 
food  with  them.  Here  it  was  that  he  took  the 
five  loaves  and  the  two  fishes  and  fed  five 
thousand.  The  people  wanted  to  take  him  by 
force  and  make  him  a  king.  Seeing  this  he 
withdrew  into  a  mountain,  and  that  night  he 
crossed  the  sea  again  and  came  to  Capernaum. 
Fora  season  he  walked  in  Galilee,  for  he  would 
not  walk  in  Judea,  for  the  Jews  sought  to  kill 
him.  After  this  he  went  far  north  into  the 
parts  of  Tyre  and  Sidon,  where  he  healed  the 
daughter  of  the  Syro-Phenician  woman.  Then 
he  returned  near  to  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  and  the 
people  brought  to  him  the  lame,  blind,  dumb, 
maimed,  and  he  healed  them.  They  were 
astonished,  and  said,  “He  hath  done  all  things 

7 


well;  he  maketh  even  the  deaf  to  hear  and  the 
dumb  to  speak.”  Here  in  DecapoHs  he  fed 
four  thousand.  Here  it  was  that  the  Pharisees 
came  to  him,  asking  him  a  sign  from  heaven. 
He  refused  to  give  them  a  sign,  and  recrossed 
the  lake.  We  next  hear  of  liim  in  Bethsaida, 
where  he  healed  a  blind  man.  Afterwards  he 
is  with  his  disciples  at  Cesarea  Philippi,  where 
Peter  confessed  his  divinity.  The  Transfigura-  v 
tion  on  Mount  Hermon  followed.  Then  he 
returned  to  Galilee  and  Capernaum.  Soon 
after  he  started  to  Jerusalem.  The  Samaritan 
villages  'refused  to  receive  him  because  they 
saw  that  he  was  bound  for  Jerusalem.  On  his 
arrival  he  taught  in  the  temple  and  the  people 
came  to  him.  Then  he  left  Judea  for  Perea; 
there  he  healed  the  woman  who  had  been 
afflicted  for  eighteen  years.  There  he  heard 
of  the  death  of  Lazarus,  and  there  he  spoke 
three  parables.  The  Lost  Sheep,  The  Lost  Coin, 
and  The  Prodigal  Son. 

In  due  time  he  went  back  to  Bethany  and 
restored  Lazarus.  Afterwards  he  retired  to 
Ephraim,  then  we  find  him  in  the  border  of 
Samaria,  then  in  Perea,  then  in  Jericho,  and 
then  in  Jerusalem.  He  is  constantly  in  motion. 
He  made  eight  circuits  of  Galilee.  He  is 
repeatedly  in  Judea,  Samaria,  and  Perea.  He 
was  sent  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of 
Israel;  and  he  earnestly  sought  to  reach  every 
one. 

Because  the  field  was  large,  he  called  unto 
him  his  twelve  disciples,  and  gave  them  author¬ 
ity  over  unclean  spirits,  to  cast  them  out,  and 
to  heal  all  manner  of  disease  and  all  manner  of 
sickness.  As  they  went  forth  he  charged  them, 

8 


saying,  “Go  not  into  any  way  of  the  Gentiles, 
and  enter  not  into  any  city  of  the  Samaritans, 
but  go  rather  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of 
Israel.  And  as  ye  go,  preach,  saying:  The 
kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand.  Heal  the  sick, 
raise  the  dead,  cleanse  the  lepers,  cast  out  de¬ 
mons;  freely  ye  received,  freely  give.”  They 
were  to  take  no  gold,  nor  silver,  nor  brass;  no 
wallet,  neither  two  coats,  nor  shoes,  nor  staff. 
If  they  were  persecuted  in  this  city,  they  were 
to  flee  into  the  next.  The  time  was  short. 
They  would  not  be  able  to  go  through  the 
cities  of  Israel  till  the  Son  of  man  would  come. 
Later  in  his  ministry  he  sent  out  seventy  others, 
and  sent  them  two  and  two  before  his  face  into 
every  city  and  place,  whither  he  himself  was 
about  to  come.  Theii  instructions  were  similar 
to  those  given  to  the  twelve.  The  Master  said 
to  them,  “He  that  heareth  you  heareth  me;  and 
he  that  rejecteth  you  rejecteth  me;  and  he  that 
rejecteth  me  rejecteth  him  that  sent  me.”  The 
people  must  hear  the  gospel.  In  order  to  this 
these  men  are  sent  out  into  every  city  and  place 
to  say  to  them  “The  kingdom  of  God  is  come 
nigh  unto  you.” 

II.  Let  us  consider  his  teaching  re¬ 
specting  THE  SALVATION  OF  THE  WORLD. 
We  hear  him  say,  “And  other  sheep  I  have 
which  are  not  of  this  fold:  them  also  I  must 
bring,  and  they  shall  hear  my  voice;  and  they 
shall  become  one  flock,  one  Shepherd.”  Our 
Lord  was  sent  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of 
Israel.  The  twelve  were  told  to  confine  their 
labors  to  the  chosen  people.  But  all  along 
there  are  intimations  that  the  gospel  is  for  all 
races  and  for  all  classes  and  conditions  of  men. 


9 


The  wise  men  who  came  from  the  East  were 
guided  by  a  star  to  the  place  where  the  young 
child  was.  They  came  to  worship  him.  They 
opened  their  treasures  and  offered  unto  him 
gifts,  gold  and  frankincense  and  myrrh.  It  is 
plain  that  the  Divine  favor  rested  upon  them. 
Afterwards  some  Greeks  came  to  Jerusalem 
saying,  “We  would  see  Jesus”  The  Lord 
heard  of  their  request  and  was  not  displeased. 
Speaking  of  the  faith  of  the  centurion  he  said, 
“  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  I  have  not  found  so 
great  faith,  no,  not  in  Israel.  And  I  say  unto 
you  that  many  shall  come  from  the  East  and 
the  West,  and  shall  sit  down  with  Abraham, 
and  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  in  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.”  He  excited  the  wrath  of  his  towns¬ 
men  by  telling  them  that  though  there  were 
many  widows  in  Israel  during  the  famine,  Eli¬ 
jah  was  sent  to  none  of  them,  but  to  a  Gentile 
woman  in  Sarepta,  in  Sidon;  and  that  though 
there  were  many  lepers  in  Israel  in  the  time  of 
Elisha  none  of  them  was  cleansed,  save  Naa- 
man  the  Syrian.  Our  Lord  was  telling  them 
all  through  his  ministry  that  the  gospel  was 
for  all  mankind.  He  had  sheep  other  than 
those  of  the  house  of  Israel,  and  these  he  must 
bring.  Again  he  said,  “For  God  so  loved  the 
world  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son, 
that  whosoever  believeth  on  him  should  not 
perish  but  have  everlasting  life.  For  God 
sent  not  his  Son  into  the  world  to  judge  the 
world;  but  that  the  world  should  be  saved 
through  him.”  “This  gospel  of  the  kingdom 
shall  be  preached  in  the  whole  world  for  a 
testimony  to  all  nations  ”  Our  Lord  taught 
that  the  whole  world  should  be  evangelized. 

10 


The  gospel  is  not  for  any  one  race,  or  for  any 
one  section  of  the  globe,  but  for  all  races  and 
for  all  sections.  Speaking  of  his  death  he 
said,  “  And  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth 
will  draw  all  men  unto  me.”  After  his  death 
and  resurrection  he  said,  “  All  authority  hath 
been  given  to  me  in  heaven  and  on  earth.  Go 
ye  therefore  and  make  disciples  of  all  the 
nations,  baptizing  them  into  the  name  of  the 
Father  and  of  the  Son  and  of  the  Holy  Spirit; 
teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  whatso¬ 
ever  I  commanded  you.”  The  men  whom  he 
called  and  trained  he  named  apostles  or  mis¬ 
sionaries.  He  said  to  them,  As  the  Father 
hath  sent  me,  even  so  send  I  you.”  He  knew 
what  was  in  man,  he  knew  how  to  reach  his 
heart  and  conscience.  He  said  to  his  apostles, 
“  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the 
gospel  to  every  creature.”  There  are  some 
now  who  say,  “  Send  the  Bible  to  people.” 
That  was  nof  Christ’s  method.  It  is  by  the 
living  voice  of  living  men  that  souls  are  won 
to  the  belief  and  the  obedience  of  the  truth. 
Our  Lord  did  not  remain  in  one  place  and 
allow  the  people  to  come  to  him.  He  did  not 
send  them  a  written  or  oral  message.  He 
sought  out  the  people  and  spoke  to  them.  He 
would  have  his  disciples  do  the  same.  Every 
man  who  succeeds  in  reaching  the  people  does 
as  Christ  did  He  goes  after  them  and  finds 
them.  The  Salvation  Army  reaches  and  res¬ 
cues  people  whom  the  churches  can  not  save. 
The  soldieis  go  into  the  slums,  into  the  streets 
and  lanes,  where  the  people  are,  and  lay  hold 
of  theip  and  lift  them  up.  If  they  would  build 
costly  houses  of  worship  in  some  aristocratic 


11 


part  of  the  city,  and  invite  the  people  to  come 
and  hear,  they  would  be  disappointed.  The 
bells  may  ring  and  announce  the  services;  pa¬ 
pers  may  say  that  all  seats  are  free;  but  the 
unsaved  are  not  won  by  such  agencies.  Our 
Lord  knew  how  to  reach  the  masses.  He  said, 
“  Go.”  Sending  a  new  Testament  by  mail  or 
by  express  does  not  obey  this  command.  Just 
before  his  ascension  he  said  to  the  Eleven, 
“  But  you  shall  receive  power,  when  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  come  upon  you;  and  ye  shall  be  my 
witnesses  both  in  Jerusalem,  and  in  all  Judea 
and  Samaria,  and  unto  the  uttermost  part  of  the 
earth.”  His  last  thought  on  earth  had  to  do 
with  the  evangelization  of  the  whole  world. 
They  were  thinking  about  the  restoration  of 
the  kingdom  of  Israel;  he  was  thinking  about 
the  redemption  of  a  lost  world.  After  his 
coronation  he  appeared  to  Saul  of  Tarsus  on 
his  way  to  Damascus  in  the  interest  of  this 
work.  He  said:  “  I  have  appeared  unto  thee, 
to  appoint  thee  a  minister  and  a  witness  both 
of  the  things  wherein  thou  hast  seen  me,  and 
of  the  things  wherein  I  will  appear  unto  thee; 
delivering  thee  from  the  people,  and  from  the 
Gentiles,  unto  whom  I  send  thee,  to  open  their 
eyes,  that  they  may  turn  from  darkness  to  light, 
and  from  the  power  of  Satan  unto  God,  that  they 
may  receive  remission  of  sins  and  an  inheri¬ 
tance  among  them  that  are  sanctified  by  faith 
in  me.”  The  glorified  Redeemer  was  so  deep¬ 
ly  interested  in  the  evangelization  of  the 
world  that  he  appeared  to  Saul  to  qualify  him 
to  take  part  in  this  work.  On  Patmos  he  ap¬ 
peared  to  John  and  showed  him  a  vision  of  re¬ 
deemed  humanity.  He  heard  every  created 

12 


thing  that  is  in  the  heaven  and  on  the  earth, 
and  under  the  earth,  and  in  the  sea,  and  all 
things  that  are  in  them,  saying,  “Unto  him 
that  sitteth  on  the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb, 
be  the  blessing,  and  the  honor,  and  the  glory, 
and  the  dominion,  forever  and  ever.” 

Our  Lord  was  a  missionary,  and  as  such  he 
was  faithful  to  him  that  appointed  him.  The 
Christian  religion  is  essentially  missionary.  It 
is  not  tribal  and  local,  but  world-embracing. 
Those  who  claim  to  be  followers  of  Christ 
must  be  missionary.  It  is  well  to  contend 
earnestly  for  sound  doctrine  and  for  the  ordi¬ 
nances  as  delivered  to  us;  but  let  us  not  think 
that  we  can  hold  fast  to  Christ  and  stand  aloof 
from  the  great  cause  of  missions.  Milman 
calls  attention  to  that  famous  book,  “The  Imi¬ 
tation  of  Christ,”  and  states  that  never  was  a 
misnomer  so  glaring,  if  rightly  considered,  as 
its  title.  “It  is  absolutely  and  entirely  selfish 
in  its  aims  as  in  its  acts.  Its  sole  single  and 
exclusive  object  is  the  purification,  the  ele¬ 
vation  of  the  individual  soul,  of  the  man  abso¬ 
lutely  isolated  from  his  kind;  with  no  hopes  or 
fears,  with  no  sympathies  of  our  common  na¬ 
ture;  he  has  absolutely  withdrawn  and  seclud¬ 
ed  himself  not  only  from  the  cares,  the  sins, 
the  trials,  but  from  the  duties,  the  connections, 
the  moral  and  religious  fate  of  the  world.” 
“That  which  distinguishes  Christ,  that  which 
distinguishes  Christ’s  apostles,  that  which  dis¬ 
tinguishes  Christ’s  religion — the  love  of  man — 
is  entirely  and  absolutely  left  out.”  Had  this 
been  the  whole  of  Christianity,  our  Lord  and 
his  apostles  would  never  have  done  the  great 
works  the  New  Testament  records.  They 

13 


might  have  dwelt  in  rapture  upon  the  emotions 
of  their  own  souls,  but  they  would  not  have 
turned  the  world  upside  down  and  reconstruct¬ 
ed  society.  “The  Imitation  of  Christ”  begins 
in  self  and  terminates  in  self.  Its  axiom  is, 
“Let  the  world  perish,  so  the  single  soul  can 
escape  on  its  solitary  plank  from  the  general 
wreck.”  The  saying  concerning  Christ,  “He 
went  about  doing  good,”  is  not  in  the  monas¬ 
tic  gospel  of  this  pious  zealot.  Of  feeding  the 
hungry,  of  clothing  the  naked,  of  visiting  the 
prisoner,  there  is  profound,  total  silence.  The 
view  of  Thomas  a  Kempis  is  the  view  of  some 
now.  But  it  is  a  mistaken  view.  The  Christ 
Spirit  does  not  drive  us  into  the  wilderness 
and  away  from  humanity.  It  does  not  lead  us 
to  think  solely  of  making  our  own  calling  and 
election  sure.  Whittier  says,  “He  findeth  not 
who  seeks  his  own,  that  soul  is  lost  that’s 
saved  alone.”  It  is  in  helping  to  seek  and  save 
the  lost  that  we  save  ourselves.  If  we  would 
have  the  Spirit  of  Christ  in  us  we  must  be  mis¬ 
sionary.  We  must  do  what  we  can  to  carry 
the  gospel  to  those  who  sit  in  darkness,  and 
to  guide  their  feet  into  the  way  of  peace. 

“Pilgrim’s  Progress”  is  one  of  the  most  pop¬ 
ular  religious  works  ever  written.  It  is  one 
of  the  few  books  Dr.  Johnson  wished  were 
longer.  Bunyan  had  the  same  conception  of 
the  Christian  life  that  the  author  of  “The  Imi¬ 
tation”  had.  His  hero  had  one  end  in  view, 
and  that  was  to  save  his  own  soul.  He  did 
not  take  his  wife  and  children  with  him  to  the 
celestial  city.  He  put  forth  no  effort  and  mani¬ 
fested  no  desire  for  the  salvation  of  another 
soul.  ‘  Bunyan’s  hero  is  named  “Christian.” 

14 


It  is  implied  that  he  is  a  typical  Christian.  He 
was  a  typical  Christian  of  the  seventeenth 
century.  In  this  respect  he  is  unlike  Christ. 
The  New  Testament  portrays  Him  as  a 
Saviour.  His  dominant  desire  was  to  seek 
and  save  the  lost.  His  enemies  said  of  him, 
and  they  said  the  truth,  “He  saved  others, 
himself  he  could  not  save.”  Bunyan’s  concep¬ 
tion  is  as  vs  ide  of  the  mark  as  is  the  conception 
of  Thomas  a  Kempis. 

To  this  end  Christ  died  and  lived  again,  that 
he  might  be  Lord  of  both  the  dead  and  the  liv¬ 
ing.  All  authority  in  heaven  and  on  earth  has 
been  given  to  him.  On  his  brow  are  many 
crowns;  on  his  vesture  and  on  his  thigh  are  the 
words,  “King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of  lords.” 
Do  we  recognize  him  as  Lord  of  all?  Are  his 
example  and  commands  authoritive?  If  we 
have  any  doubt  on  this  score,  let  us  go  back  to 
our  baptism.  In  that  ordinance  we  vowed 
eternal  fealty  to  him.  We  pledged  him  that 
we  would  love  him,  and  trust  him,  and  serve 
him  for  evermore.  He  says  to  us,  “If  you 
love  me  keep  my  commandments.”  “You 
are  my  friends  if  you  do  whatsoever  I  com¬ 
mand  you.”  His  last  command,  his  supreme 
command,  was  that  we  should  evangelize  the 
world.  We  must  do  this  or  be  recreant.  '  We 
repeat  the  great  words:  “For  the  love  of 
Christ  constraineth  us;  because  we  thus  judge, 
that  one  died  for  all,  therefore  all  died;  and  he 
died  for  all,  that  they  who  live  should  no 
longer  live  unto  themselves,  but  unto  him  who 
for  their  sakes  died  and  rose  again.”  If  the 
love  of  Christ  does  constrain  us  we  can  not 
live  to  please  ourselves.  Our  great  question 

15 


\^ill  not  be;  What  shall  I  eat?  or  what  shall"! 
drink?  or  wherewithal  shall  I  be  clothed?  It 
will  rather  be,  How  can  I  send  the  truth  to 
those  who  have  never  heard  it?  If  his  love 
constrains  us,  our  deepest  desire  will  be  that 
his  kingdom  may  come,  and  that  his  will  may 
be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  done  in  heaven.  If 
his  love  constrains  us,  we  shall  be  willing  to 
fill  up  that  which  is  behind  of  his  sufferings, 
and  make  it  our  chief  concern  to  bear  the  gos¬ 
pel  into  all  the  world  and  to  every  creature. 
If,  on  the  contrary,  the  love  of  ease  and 
pleasure  constrains  us,  and  we  disregard  his 
command,  we  shall  have  to  answer  the  ques¬ 
tion,  “Why  call  ye  me  Lord!  Lord!  and  do  not 
the  things  which  I  say?” 


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